I would like a grating tool for industrial structures. What I want to do is draw a sketch and have the area filled (whatever crazy outline that may be) with an array of slats and crossbars driven by parameters. Parameters would be slat size, slat spacing, crossbar spacing. The slats and crossbars could be loaded via profiles. It would be extremely nice if the tool knew to add an edge/closure slats as well, this way I could punch a hole in the grating (by editing the sketch) and it would add a closure bar around the opening.
Right now, there are two ways I approach this:
First, is to use a floor type that is 1-1/4" thick, with a partially transparent material whose surface is a hatch pattern that mimics grating.
Second, and more tedious, I've built a grating "beam" - because actual grating comes in panels comprised of a specific number of slats or bars. So, what I've done is used a line-based beam family that has an array of slats driven by the parameter "Number of slats" and "Slat Spacing", then a first-last array is used to place the cross bars at no-more-distance-than parameter "Cross Bar Spacing". Within the family I've added the types: "21-bar", "31-bar", etc. corresponding to a 24" wide grating panel and a 36" wide grating panel, and so on. The only problem with this is the grating panels or beams will always come out as a rectangles and it has to be trimmed for corners and openings. I start by placing a beam system of these grating beams (at a fixed spacing), then break the beam system and clean up the edges and openings. Also, it doesn't add a closure strip around openings.
